Stop device fob full-fashioned stocking-knitting machines



A. GEE

STOP DEVICE FOR FULL FASHIONED STOCKING KNITTING MACHINES Filed Oct. 29.1920 5 sheets-sheet; 1

x r- I Mar. 27, 1.923

A. GEE

ST OP DEVICE FOR FULL FASHIONED STOCKING KNITTING MACHINES 29, 1920 5sheets-sheet 2 I AEUDYI A. GEE

STOP DEVICE FOR FULL FASHIONED STOCKING KNITTING MACHINES 5sheets-sheet, 5

Filed Oct. 29, 1920 Patented Mar. 27, 1923.

ALBERT GEE, OF OAK LANE, PENNSYLVANIA.

STOP DEVICE FOR FULL-FASHIONED STOCKING-KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filed October 29, 1920. Serial No. 420,584.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT Gan, a citizen of the United States, residingin Oak Lane, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Stop Devices for Full-Fashioned Stocking-KnittingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

1 My invention relates to improvements in stop devices for knittingmachines, the object of my invention being to'provide means for stoppingthemachine which is automatically operable when a predetermined lengthof the knitted material has left the needles, whereby articles ofuniform length may be obtained regardless of the factors of variabilitywhich are always present in knitting operations of machines of the typeinvolved.

In the attached drawings: 7

Figure 1, is a front elevation of a portion of a full fashioned stockingknitting machine equipped with a stop device made in accordance with myinvention;

Fig. 2, is a plan view of that portion of the knitting machine shown inFig. 1;

Fig.2 3, isa vertical section taken on the line 3-3 Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4, is a view in perspective of the chain carrying sprocket showingthe details of the clutch device associated therewith.

With reference to the drawings, 1 indicates the frame of the machine,and 2 the main driving shaft mounted in suitable bearings therein.Slidably mounted in the said frame 1 is a starting rod or lever 3, saidrod being operably connected in the present instance with a belt shifter(not shown) adapted to shift the belt from a tight to a loose pulley instopping the machine and fromthe said loose pulley to the tight pulleyin starting. Also mounted in suitable bearings in the said frame 1 is ashaft 4: which carries a fabric reel 5 of the well known form, and alsofixed to the said shaft 1 is a pulley 5 upon which may be wound a cord 6which, in the present instance, passes over a fixed pulley 7 and hasattached to the extremity thereof suitable weights 8, said weights bygravity and through the cord 6 exerting a force upon the pulley 5tending to rotate the shaft 4 and the fabric roller 5 in a givendirection. The free end of the knitted fabric is attached in the usualmanner to the roller 5, said fabric as it leaves the needles beingrolled up upon the roller and being kept taut with a constant tension bythe aforedescribed action of the weights 8.

Fixed to the shaft 4 is a sprocket wheel 9 upon which rides an endlesschain 10, said chain depending loosely from the said sprocket, whilepivotally attached to the frame 1 at 11 is a member '13 having adownwardly extending lug or tooth 14 which normally rests upon the uppersurface of the chain 10 where it passes over the sprocket 9, in themanner shown in Fig. 3.. In one or more of the links 10 of the chain 10is a niche or recess 10*, said niche or recess being of such size as toaccommodate the said tooth 14 on the frame 13. It will be clear from theforegoing that so long as the tooth 14 rests upon the surface of thechain the member 13 is retained in an elevated position, but when as thesprocket revolves a recessed link 10 is brought to the top, the saidtooth 14 will enter the recess 10" with a resultant'depression of themember 13,

Securedto the rod 3 is a block 15, While loosely mounted and adapted toslide upon the said rod is a loose block 16, said block 16 having an arm16 adapted tofit within a corresponding groove 15*" in the said block 15whereby rotation around the rod is prevented. A coiled spring l7'carriedupon the rod 3, is confined between a portion 1 of the frame 1 and theend of the block 16 and exerts a-force tending to keep the said block incontact with the said block 15. An arm 18 pivotally secured to the block16 extends laterally and forwardly thereof, and carries upon its end aroller 19 overlying an arm 13 pivotally attached at 12,to the frame 1and. having the free end thereof suitably supported by the member 13,said arm. 13 h'a-ving fixed thereto a suitable'lug 20, against the edgeof which the roller 19 is adapted to lie, and which, when the saidmember 13 is in an elevated position, as it is when the tooth 14 restsupon the upper surface. of the chain 10, acts as astop preventingmovement of the block 16 upon the rod 3 under the action of the spring17. In the present instance, the member 13 has a laterally anddownwardly extending outer end portion in which is an aperture 13, and asuitable extension 13 upon the end of the arm 13' fits loosely withinsaid aperture, thereby establishing. the necessary connection betweenthe member 13 and the arm 13. Extending from the side of the block 16 isa pin 29, while threaded in and extending through the Y roller 19, whenthe member 13 is depressed to insure the release of the roller, thedevice,

at the same time, not interfering with theupward movement of the arm topermit the roller to ride over the top of the lug 20 when the rod 3 isshifted to the starting position. The extent of the said downwardmovement of the arm may be regulated by adjustment of the screw 30. Itwill be clear that when the said member 13 is in the elevate-d position,the rod 3 may be s'hifted to the left without disturbing the block 16,which is retained in the normal position in the manner described above.

The operation of the device in so far as described is as follows:

The usual provision being made for attaching the knitted fabric to theroller 5, the machine is started by shifting the rod ,3. to the right,the various elements assuming the positions in which the-y are shown inFig. 2. The chain- 10 has previously been set, in a manner hereinafterdescribed, in such manner that the shaft 4 must rotate through apredetermined angle before a link. 10 containing the said recess 10 isadvanced to the topof the sprocket in position permitting the tooth 14of the member 13 to enter the said recess, the tooth 14 in the meantimeresting upon the upper surfaceof the chain whereby the member 13 issupported in the elevated position. In this position of'the member 13,the roller 19 abuts the lug 20 upon the arm 13 and thereby preventsmovement of the block 16 under the pressure of the spring 17. When,however, the said tooth 14, as in the manner heretofore explained,enters the said recess 10*. the member 13 is depressed, therebyreleasing the roller 19 from engagement with the lug 20 and permittingthe block 16 under pressure of the spring 17* to move to the left,-said-block by abutment with the block 15 which is fixed to the lever 3,forcing the lever to the left and thereby shutting down the machine. Ifduring the knitting operation and before the chain 10 has traveledsufficiently to carry the recess 1'0 into position to be entered by thetooth 14, it is desired to bring the machine to a stop, this may be doneas previously explained, b manually shifting the rod 3 to the left whicwill in no way disturb the automatic stop mechanism. Extending forwardlyfrom the member .13 is a pin 21, said pin being adapted for engagementby cams 22 and 23 upon the shifting rod 3, the said cam 23 enteringinto'engagement with said pin to elevate the member 13 when the rodisshifted to the left or machine-stopping position, thereby. eletheshifting rod 3 is released and by reason I of the spring 17 assumesthenormal going position in which it is shown in Fig. 2,

whereby the pin 21 is released from engagement with the cam 22 and thetooth 14 permitted once more to rest upon the surface of the chain. Itwill be seen that in starting the machine the starting rod must beshifted to an extreme position and held there until the machine is underway. the rod then being released and automatically assuming anintermediate going position.

The sprocket 9 is loosely mounted upon the shaft 4, and connectionbetween the said shaft and sprocket is effected by means of a collar 24which is suitably secured, as by means of a set screw 25, to the saidshaft 4, and which has extending from the face thereof which abuts thehub 9 of the sprocket 9, pins 26 which are adapted to entercorresponding recesses 27 in the said hub 9. A spring 28 is secured tothe sprocket 9 and tends to retain the said sprocket in engagement withthe said collar 24. It is clear the hub, the sprocket may be rotatedfreely that by shiftingthe said sprocket so asito remove the pins 26from the recesses 27 in upon the shaft, 4 and the chain placed in any.

which lies nearest the 'tooth'in the direction opposite to that in whichthe chain travels, and the length of the knitted article can accordinglybe controlled.

Where the knitted article, as in the case of a full fashioned stocking,is formed in a number of distinct and consecutive operations, theportions of the stockin formed in said operations hem of specificlengths the chain may be divi ed into a number 0 sections correspondingrespectively to the lengths of the said sections of the stocking andunited by recessedlinks 10, so that at the end of each operation themachine automaticallv stops down.

The device not only makes it possible to obtain articlesof exactlyuniform lengths,

article will, of

but also effects a substantial saving in materials in that the exactdesired lengths are always assured and there is no overrunning. Thedevice similarly avoids serious loss due to the making of lengths soshort as to be of no commercial value. i

Iclaim:

In aknitting machine, the-combination of a revolva'ble shaft, a fabricreel upon said shaft adapted to take up the fabric from the needles andto retain it under tension, a sprocket upon said shaft, a chain carriedby said sprocket, one or more of the links of said chain having a recesstherein, a pivotally mounted member having an element adapted to engagesaid chain whereby said said element enters the said recess, means forhalting the operation of said machine, an operating member for saidhalting means, means operatively connected with said operating memberfor automatically shifting the said member to stop the machlne, meanscarried by said pivoted member forretaining said automatic shiftingmeans in an inoperative position when the said pivoted member iselevated, said shifting means being released when the said pivotedmember is depressed, and means carried by said 0perating member forelevating the said pivoted member when the said operating member isshifted either to the machine-halting or starting positions. member isretained in an elevated position, I said pivoted member being depremedwhen ALBERT GEE.

